´65 Chevelle

AMT 1/25

The Chevrolet Chevy II/Nova is a small automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, and produced in five generations for the 1962 through 1979, and 1985 through 1988 model years. Built on the X-body platform, the Nova was the top selling model
in the Chevy II lineup through 1968. The Chevy II nameplate was dropped
after 1968, with Nova becoming the nameplate for all of the 1969
through 1979 models. It was replaced by the 1980 Chevrolet Citation introduced in the spring of 1979. The Nova nameplate returned in 1985, produced through 1988 as a S-car based, NUMMI manufactured, subcompact based on the front wheel drive, Japan home-based Toyota Sprinter.

First generation (1962–1965)

The 1965 Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova were updated with cleaner
front-end styling courtesy of a fresh full-width grille with new
integrated headlight bezels. Parking lights moved down to the
deep-section bumper, and sedans gained a new roofline. Taillight and
backup lights were restyled, as was the rear cove. The 1965 Chevy II
came in entry-level 100 form or as the posher Nova 400, each in three
body styles. The Nova Super Sport came as a Sport Coupe only, and its
production dipped to just 9,100 cars. Super Sports had a new
brushed-chrome console with floor-mounted four-speed manual transmission
or Powerglide automatic, but a column-mounted three-speed manual
remained standard. Bucket seats wore textured vinyl trim, and the
dashboard held ammeter, oil pressure, and temperature gauges.
An expanded engine lineup gave customers six power choices of the
six-cylinder or V-8 engines; the four-cylinder was available only in the
100. But, for Chevy II enthusiasts, 1965 is best remembered as the year
the Chevy II became a muscle car. A 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8 was available
with up to 300 hp (220 kW), suddenly putting Nova SS performance
practically on a par with the GTO, 4-4-2, and 271 bhp Mustang 289s-at
least in straight-line acceleration. Midyear also brought a more potent
283 with dual exhausts and 220 horsepower.

The Chevelle Malibu SS continued to eat away at the Nova SS
market: Out of 122,800 Chevy IIs built for 1965 (compared to 213,601
Falcons), only 9,100 were Super Sports. For 1965, Chevy II had the
dubious distinction of being the only car in GM's lineup to suffer a
sales decline. It is possible that some Chevy II sales were lost to the
brand-new '65 Corvair, which addressed virtually all its 1960–64
problems, got rave reviews from automotive journals and featured sleek
new (Z-body) styling along with a brand-new chassis.